The present invention relates, in general, to a bumper for a motor vehicle.
Nothing in the following discussion of the state of the art is to be construed as an admission of prior art.
Bumpers are typically arranged across the front and rear of a motor vehicle between the plastic shell of the vehicle body and the frame of the motor vehicle. To prevent damage to the vehicle body structure in the event of a crash or impact at low speed, crash boxes are integrated to absorb energy caused by the impact and to convert the energy in deformation work.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,552 describes a bumper for a motor vehicle, including a cross member having a U-shaped cross section and attached to side rails of a vehicle chassis. The cross member includes a web and two legs connected to the web. Received in the cross member is a crash box which has a cross member proximal end joined to the web and to confronting ends of the legs
German Offenlegungsschrift DE 100 14 469 A1 discloses a crash box for a motor vehicle in shell construction. Embossments in the crash box are intended to cause a deformation at certain areas.
Current crash boxes have been shown inadequate in the event of an impact at an angle at slow speed because the energy absorption is insufficient so that most of the impact energy is absorbed by the cross member.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved vehicle bumper to obviate prior art shortcomings.